Roger Caras said "Dogs are not our whole life but they make our lives whole." He was wrong. When you live with four, obedience train two, agility train two and co-own a dog boutique:(GollyGear); dogs are your life. And life is good.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

This is what it looks like when I let the dogs out on my day off. Fran has Tango at work, so he's not in the picture, but he probably wouldn't be anyway because he's always in motion. Ceilidh (Boston Terrier) lies in the sun, Teddy (fawn Frenchie) finds a stick to chew on, Roc (Brussels Griffon) is on alert for anything to bark at, and Dax (brindle Frenchie) eats grass (which she promptly regurgitates). - Hope

Friday, July 29, 2011

The last few nights have been interesting here in the Chicago area. Lots of lightning, thunder and inches upon inches of rain. It's now the wettest July on record here. We've learned just how much we depend on electricity for simple things. Almost 20,000 people in the area are still without power from last night's storms.On a personal level, I'm really tired of it. I'd like to get some sleep tonight!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Teddy competed last week in his first-ever agility trial, ran two courses (1 Jumpers with Weaves and 1 Standard), qualified in both runs, got perfect scores in both runs, and won third place in both runs. I'm hoping these are just the first of lots of ribbons Ted will earn - but I'm just so thrilled with and proud of these first ones! I apologize to everyone who's been listening to me rave about my little guy for the last week - just can't help it! - Hope

Friday, July 22, 2011

Much of the country is gripped in a nasty, long-lasting heat wave. The heat index (what it actually feels like outside) rose over 100 degrees F. the last few days here in the Chicago area. The news reports emphasize how important it is for us to hydrate and get relief in the air conditioning for at least a few hours each day. That goes for our dogs too! We have to make sure that we limit their time outside in the heat and provide lots of clean water. If you're on a walk, bring along a Water Rover so your pup can take water breaks.My crazy Boston Terrier, Ceilidh, and Hope's French Bulldog, Dax, love the heat, though. They'd bake on the grass for hours if we let them. We end up carrying them inside because they refuse to leave the heat on their own! Silly girls....-Fran

Friday, July 15, 2011

After we arrived at our campsite last Sunday afternoon, Tango and I took some time to just chill out. This was before the storm Monday morning that knocked power out to over 800,000 people. And knocked out our internet for the better part of the week. This was, in fact, relaxing before the storm.-Fran

Friday, July 08, 2011

We don't get many days like today - bright and sunny, not too hot, not too windy, not too humid. Tango is enjoying a break. Life's too short - go outside and enjoy nice days! (Then come inside and shop for your little dog online at GollyGear.com....)-Fran

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Every Sunday (when we're home) we have assembly-line dog-clean-up time: mani/pedi, tooth-brushing, face-washing, etc.Teddy is the only light-colored dog we've ever had. And what does Teddy do after his clean-up? Rolls in the dirt, of course!- Hope

Friday, July 01, 2011

We've told you about the 50-year old maple tree in the backyard that was damaged in the storm last week?? Well, since there are so many limbs that come down whenever the wind blows, we decided that the tree has to come down. We got the estimate and sent back the contract to the tree service just a couple of days ago. But we had another storm last night - brief but violent supercell with extremely high winds. More branches came down - Teddy got to chew on some really big sticks! One is resting on the house and on another branch in the tree. Don't blow too hard.

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About us

Hope and Fran are sisters and owners of GollyGear - a shop specializing in fun, affordable, and practical products especially for small dogs.

We believe that dogs are wonderful companions and their presence enriches our lives. We also know how difficult it can be to find appropriate "gear" for our small dogs, which is why we founded Golly Gear. We make it a point to discover the best products for small dogs and share them with other, devoted dog lovers.

Fran has two dogs: Tango, a 5-year-old Brussels Griffon who got off to a bit of a rough start, but is rapidly becoming a wonderful companion and agility dog, with his Masters Standard and Novice Jumpers titles, and Booker, 2-year-old Boston Terrier just starting his adventure. Hope has Teddy a 4-year-old fawn Frenchie with attitude and Open Standard and Jumpers titles; and Torque, a brand-new Frenchie baby.

Golly Gear is named for Fran's Brussels Griffon, Golly - who was a discriminating judge of all things dog throughout her life.